Celestial Atlantis
by Dolphin-chick
Summary: When the Sailor Senshi of the future are defeated, the young Sailor Antares goes back in time to find the legendary Zodiac Senshi. Written from Sailor Libra's point of view.
1. Prologue

The original Sailor Moon and all related characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi/Kodensha and Toei Animation. The Zodiac Senshi was my idea ^_^   
  
CELESTIAL ATLANTIS  
  
By Dolphin-chick  
  
~oOdOo~  
  
~ Prologue ~   
  
She stood on what seemed to be the edge of the Earth itself. Heaving for breath and covered in blood, she stood in despair. Her friends had already fallen, maybe dying. Gemini, the youngest, lie unmoving on the ground, her skin-tight sailor uniform ripped up and blood soaked. With the last of her strength, she looked up at the formless demon looming above the ruins of Crystal Tokyo, and cried out into the unforgiving night, "Libra maelstrom SHOCKWAVE!"  
  
The thunderous blast, Sailor Libra's most powerful attack, yielded no effect. Libra unleashed an animal scream; anger, pain and anguish manifested themselves in one earsplitting howl. The demon created a huge fireball and flung it at Libra. She went sailing over the edge of the cliff.  
  
Flying...  
  
Falling...  
  
It was all the same. Memories went flashing by.  
  
The beginning, when they all had something resembling a normal life. The beginning, when it was all one big adventure. The beginning, when fear, anger and insane giddiness created the ultimate adrenaline rush.   
  
But, after a few battles, the insane giddiness left and in its wake was a flurry of less definite emotions. All that was certain was the immediate threat of death.  
  
But in the beginning...the beginning, hell, it could've been yesterday... 


	2. Part 1: I Dreamt I Woke Up

Note about the next few chapters- Wingdings won't work on this format, so any strange, misplaced character in all probability is supposed to be a Wingding.  
  
~ Part 1: I Dreamt I Woke Up ~  
  
Rachel walked home from her bus stop alone. Her friend was sick that day, and walking home with her step-sister was the last thing she wanted. She brushed her pale hand through dark tresses, and, from the corner of her eye, noticed a small gray kitten with a strange bald spot following her. The bald spot vaguely reminded her of a similar crescent shaped mark beginning to appear on her own cat's forehead.   
  
Rachel walked a little further; the kitten followed. She walked a bit farther then abruptly turned around. The kitten looked at Rachel as if studying her, then, as if showing its approval, meowed.   
  
"Are you lost little kitty?" Rachel asked the small feline. "Well you have no tags. I guess I'll just sneak you into the house and get you something to eat, how's about that?" The cat responded with an excited meow. "Do you have a name?"  
  
"Di-,"the cat started.  
  
"WHAT?!" I swear that cat just said something, Rachel thought.  
  
"Meow!"  
  
"Let's see... cat names, cat names... um...Penny? Cleo? But there's that crescent mark on your forehead. Hmm... maybe... Artemis?"  
  
The cat looked up expectantly.  
  
"... Diana?"  
  
"MEOW! MEOW!"  
  
Strange, Rachel pondered, how the cat seemed to understand English.  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
Later that night, Rachel had a dream. Her friends Autumn, Bunny, and Tessa were with her. They were all wearing similar, sailor-like uniforms.   
  
Autumn was playing with her blonde hair, and her blue eyes betrayed her nervousness. Bunny seemed completely unaffected, attempting to make small braids in her unbelievably long black hair. Once she was done with one braid, the Filipino girl switched to the other side of her head, making sure there was an even amount of braiding on each side. Tessa was playing with her sunglasses, which seemed out of place with the uniform, although normally they were either holding back her light brown hair or covering her green eyes.   
  
A young Asian woman appeared before them. She too wore the small sailor uniform, though hers appeared more elaborate. Her indigo skirt and collar were studded with diamonds, giving it the appearance of stars in a midnight sky. She had silver bows in the front of her collar and on the back of her skirt. She wore a black choker with a small gold star on it and a gold tiara with a diamond where it came down on her forehead in the center. She had large black boots that came to the top of her shin and arched to her knee in the front. In the center were small crystal charms that looked like an eight-pointed star, with the bottom point being longer than the rest. The top inch of the boots were lined in silver trim.   
  
She also held a large staff, about a foot or so taller than she was. On top of the staff was a crescent moon, encrusted in diamonds, topaz, and sapphires. On the ends of the moon was an opal star. The ornament sat atop a small base made of turquoise, which had four silver stems that branched upward and out, and curled at the ends. From each of these stems, a tiny silver chain dangled, revealing a small gem charm at the end. There was a crystal thunderbolt, a sapphire water droplet, an emerald leaf and a ruby flame. The entire staff flowed flawlessly down to the ground and was studded with small amethyst gems at the top and bottom. The bottom portion had silver appendages on one side giving it the appearance of a key.  
  
"Hello," the woman said in a distant, echoing timbre. "My name is Sailor Antares. I was appointed by Neo Queen Lady Mistress Lima Bean to bring twelve girls from the 21st century to protect the kingdom of Crystal Tokyo in the 40th century. You are the first four of those twelve."  
  
"Wait! Wait!" Autumn exclaimed quickly. "How did you decide that we were going to be the ones to protect this 'Crystal Tokyo'? And what do you mean '40th century'?"   
  
"Lima Bean?" Bunny asked incredulously.   
  
"Yes Lima Bean. It's her nickname. Much like yours is Bunny, Valyn," Antares said a bit annoyed.  
  
"Oooooh. Hey! How did you know my name?" Bunny asked.   
  
"I've been watching you for quite some time. I've picked up on your names. Now then..." Sailor Antares came forward. "I think it's about time I gave you your transformation pens and got you started on your mission."  
  
"Mission?" Rachel wondered out loud.  
  
"I'll get to that. But now, you need your transformation pens." Antares held out her staff and four pens, each topped off with a jewel and an engraved zodiac sign, appeared before her. She grabbed the red pen with the ^ (Aeries) symbol.  
  
"Tessa, you are Sailor Aeries. The red of your uniform and the orange of your bows represents your element and power: fire. Your jewel is garnet. When you must transform, hold up the pen and say 'Aeries constellation power'." Tessa also wore red combat boots and a gold tiara with a ruby in the center.  
  
Antares reached for the light blue pen with the ` (Gemini) symbol on it. "Bunny, you are Sailor Gemini. The purple of your uniform and the pink of the bows represents the evening and morning skies and also your element and power: air. Your jewel is topaz. When you must transform, hold up your pen and say 'Gemini constellation power'." Bunny wore large purple boots that came up to mid-shin and the same gold tiara but with an amethyst in the center.   
  
"Autumn," Antares started after taking the blue-green pen with the e (Scorpio) symbol. "You are Sailor Scorpio. The blue-green of your uniform and the green of the bows represents your element and power: water. When you must transform, hold up your pen and say 'Scorpio constellation power'." Autumn had blue boots that came to her thighs and almost met the skimpy skirt and her tiara held a topaz gem.  
  
Antares took the silver pen with the d (Libra) symbol on it and handed it to Rachel. "You are Sailor Libra. The black of your uniform and the light blue of your bows symbolizes the night sky and your element and power: air. When you must transform, hold up your pen and say 'Libra constellation power'." Rachel wore indigo boots that arched to the knees on the sides. The top was lined with light blue and her tiara was centered on a star sapphire.  
  
"There are eight more Zodiac Soldiers you must find. There will be one more with the power and element of air, two with water, two with fire and three with earth. It is your mission to find them. You will find that, if you have a pet cat, it has begun to get a bald spot on its forehead. Soon it will be able to take and take position as your guardian. But until then, I must visit you in your dreams, and Diana, the gray kitten, will be around to help me.  
  
'When the time comes and you need to fight, you will find you already know your attacks. You will learn more as you become stronger and gain experience. Be prepared. Neo Queen Lady Serenity, King Helios, Neo Queen Lady Mistress Lima Bean, the Sailor Senshi and I wish you the best of luck. Take care, Zodiac Senshi." Sailor Antares looked tired and fairly well winded. She turned around and disappeared into the dream world mist.   
  
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!  
  
Rachel awoke with a start. "Damn alarm clock," she muttered to herself. Well, she thought, time to get ready for school. She pushed away the night's dream for lunchtime conversation. 


	3. Part 2: Butt Bows and Booty Skirts

~ Part 2: Butt Bows and Booty Skirts ~  
  
"Minako-chan!"  
  
"Konnichi wa, Ann-chan!"  
  
"Chibi-usa!"  
  
"Lucy, where are you?"  
  
"BUNNY!"  
  
Lunchtime had rolled around and the feeding frenzy was in full swing. Situated around one of six large tree planter boxes in the Las Vegas Academy quad, were over ten, hyper, giggling, and over-active teenage school girls.  
  
"Hey you guys... hello...HEY!" Everyone snapped to attention at Bunny's very loud outburst.  
  
"I had the coolest dream last night," she began. "There was this chick that looked kind of like Jackie, but older. She called herself Sailor Antares. And guess what? I'm Sailor GEMINI!"  
  
"That's impossible! I had the same dream!" Tessa exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, you were Sailor Aeries," Autumn said, pointing to Tessa. "And I'm Sailor Scorpio. And Rachel is Sailor Libra."  
  
Rachel sat quietly on the planter box. There was no way... no way it could be real.  
  
"Weird! Hey, I left my stuff in the art room, can we go get it?" Bunny asked.  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
Tessa, Bunny, Autumn, Mica and Rachel ended up in the art room.  
  
"Now I think I left my stuff over here...AHHHHH!" Bunny jumped back; where she had been appeared a large monster, about ten feet tall and hunched over. It was orange-brown in color and looked like a cross between a cuttlefish and a centipede.  
  
"What the hell is that thing?!" Rachel screeched.  
  
"A monster from my time," Sailor Antares' echo-like voice filled the room. "Mica, you are Sailor Virgo. I've no time to explain. Use this transformation pen and say 'Virgo constellation power'. You must hurry!"  
  
The five pens appeared before them, Mica's green pen with her c (Virgo) symbol included.  
  
"Aeries constellation POWER!"  
  
Tessa floated about a foot off the ground. Flames leapt from the tip of the pen and surrounded her in a wall of flames. The fire dissipated and she emerged in a leotard with the orange bow and red collar. The Aries symbol formed under her feet and fire and fire whirled upwards from it to her hips. When the fire was extinguished, she stood in the full sailor uniform, combat boots and all.  
  
Bunny grabbed her pen. "Gemini constellation POWER!"   
  
Bunny was surrounded by wind swirling around her, again forming a purple skirt and collar and pink bows, and her purple boots  
  
"Scorpio constellation POWER!"  
  
Water rose all around Autumn then fell back down. She emerged in the leotard. A Scorpio sign appeared below her and twin fountains of water gushed up in a spiraling motion. She appeared in her blue green skirt and collar and green bows along with her thigh-high, blue boots.  
  
"Libra constellation POWER!"  
  
A tornado of white wind whirled downward around Rachel. She too now wore the white leotard. The Libra symbol appeared just below her feet; lightening surrounded her entirely then disappeared, revealing her sailor outfit; black skirt and collar with light blue bows and the indigo boots.  
  
"Virgo constellation POWER!"  
  
Leaves and flowers rained down around Mica, rustling her long, black hair. When the foliage settled, Mica wore the ever familiar leotard. A torrent of rainbow colored butterflies rose up from the flowers and fluttered away. When the transformation was complete, Mica stood with the other girls wearing an evergreen skirt and collar accented by light green bows and stood in high heels that matched the bows. Her golden tiara sported a deep green emerald. The young Filipino was also facing row upon row of rotten, gnashing teeth.  
  
"Gemini hurricane WHIRLWIND!"  
  
A thunderous din resounded throughout the room and Gemini held her hands out in front of her. A flurry of wind gathered around her, and when she jerked her hands to the sides, the torrent roared into the monster. It was visibly affected.  
  
"Whoa, that was coooool!" Gemini giggled.  
  
"Scorpio tsunami TIDALWAVE!"   
  
Twin walls of water formed on either side of Scorpio. She brought her upheld arms out in front of her, wrists together, fingers outstretched. The waves collapsed and flowed forward. The monster roared.  
  
"My turn!" Virgo exclaimed enthusiastically. But the monster had other ideas. It flung one of it's at least ten hairy, twig-like arms and tried to skewer Virgo, missing by mere inches, but still knocking her over. It swung again, tripping Libra.   
  
"Aeries firestorm INFERNO!"  
  
Aeries spun in slow, graceful circle, with a ring of fire forming behind her reaching right arm. She stopped short of a full circle and flung her left in the direction of the monster. The fire streamed a course towards it.   
  
"Now it's my turn!" Virgo stated triumphantly back on her feet. "Virgo earth SHAKE!"  
  
The ground beneath the monster split and cracked then began to shake. The monster was tossed around mercilessly. When the shaking ceased the monster appeared nearly dead. It could hardly muster enough strength to make a pitiful swing at Scorpio.   
  
"You guys, I think we should finish it off and put it out of its misery." Gemini said. The other four nodded in silent agreement.  
  
"Libra heavenly THUNDER!"  
  
Libra held out her hands as bolts of lightening collected there. She pulled it back behind her as it condensed into a tight ball and flung it at the fallen creature. The monster disintegrated into nothingness on contact.  
  
"Good work," Antares' echo-like voice filled the room once more. "But you must still find the other senshi. The monsters of my time are much more powerful and vicious. That one was most likely a weak monster that somehow found its way to this time, though how I don't know. Nonetheless, you will need more practice and training if you hope to survive in my era. Good luck, Zodiac Senshi!" With that, any trace of Sailor Antares vanished like a breeze.   
  
"Zodiac Senshi, eh?" Bunny commented as she de-morphed. "But I still don't like these butt bows and booty skirts." 


	4. Part 3: Fire and Ice

~ Part 3: Fire and Ice ~   
  
"What a trippy day!" Rachel exclaimed as she burst into her room and flopped onto her bed.  
  
"How so?" Diana and Tigger asked in unison.  
  
"I swear I'll never get used to that. Anyway, there was a monster in the art room. And Tigger, remember Mica? She's Sailor Virgo." Rachel blurted.  
  
"Any other new senshi?" Tigger inquired.  
  
"No, none yet. But I have a feeling we'll find everyone and be ready to go in no time at all."  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
"Hey guys, what's up?" Kourtinay walked over to where Anne and Rachel were sitting in the quad. Kourtinay was the only black girl in their group. Rachel briefly wondered why, then remembered that Kourtinay was also one of the few brave women who dared enter the clique known as the Anime Freaks; a group usually only associated with constant   
screaming, giggling, running around, and food theivery. In fact, very few people dared enter the circle unless introduced. Not that there were any entrance requirements. It was just that about thirty school girls running around like rabid monkeys wasn't the most appealing of high school cliques.  
  
"Nuttin' muh. Ou?" Anne replied with a mouthful of ramen. Anne's blue eyes peered through recently red dyed hair.  
  
"I'm OK. Hey, remember Abby?" Kourtinay asked cheerfully.  
  
"Yeah," the two replied in unison. Rachel recalled the short, brown haired girl who was always using the art teacher's dry erase markers to color the lenses of her glasses.  
  
"She invited me to come up to her house this Saturday and I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming with."  
  
"Sure if I can get a ride," Rachel replied.  
  
"I'll get one of my parents to pick you up. Hey, Abby's not gonna go run off into the desert and start a bonfire again, is she?" Anne asked absently.   
  
"I just hope she doesn't try to sacrifice me to Fenris again."  
  
"Fenris?" Kourtinay asked.  
  
"Norse wolf-god," Rachel stated matter of factly.  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
Saturday rolled around without a hitch, and Kourtinay, Rachel and Anne were situated around Abby's front porch. Abby was in the midst of doing her dance, which consisted of putting one hand on the back of her head, holding one leg back with her other hand, and jerking around in a circle wildly. Suddenly she stopped. Her eyes grew big and wide.   
  
"Oooooo. Shiiiiiineeeey," and she pounced the miniscule piece of shining copper. Abby proceeded to knock the penny around, and when it slipped under the porch, she went after it.  
  
"Holy shit!" Abby exclaimed as she jumped back from under the porch. A large creature, similar to the one in the art room, crawled out from under the porch. This monster more resembled a cross between a lobster and a spider, and was the color of old bruises. Rachel reached for her transformation pen.   
  
"Libra constellation POWER!"  
  
Rachel, now in full Sailor Libra garb, stood in front of her astonished friends.  
  
"Libra heavenly THUNDER!"  
  
The monster was affected but refused to back down. I can't do this alone, Rachel realized silently. As if an answer to her prayers, three new transformation pens appeared, accompanied by Sailor Antares' reassuring voice.  
  
"Congratulations, Libra, you've found some new comrades. Abby,"  
  
Abby twirled around in a circle a few times, looking for the source of the illusive voice.  
  
"Abby... ABBY! Pay attention. You are Sailor Leo. Take the transformation pen... the red one... no, the other red one... yes, that's it." Abby had grabbed the red pen with the b (Leo) symbol. "Hold it up and say 'Leo transformation power'... NOT YET! Alright. Now, Kourtinay, you are Sailor Sagittarius. The other red transformation pen is yours. Hold it up and say 'Sagittarius constellation power'." Kourtinay took the remaining red pen with the f (Sagittarius) sign. "Anne..."  
  
Anne snatched the remaining blue pen with the i (Pisces) symbol and cried out, "Pisces constellation POWER!" Antares sighed before her voice faded once again.   
  
A blizzard of snowflakes whirled around her leaving her with dark blue bows and a white uniform with a gold tiara that held an opal. Her feet were situated in dark blue high heels.   
  
Abby flung her pen around in the air for a while, the cried "Leo constellation POWER!" and caught it again.  
  
Abby was enclosed in a streak of flames which downwards around her. She stood in an orange skirt and collar with neon yellow bows. She wore dark orange sneakers laced with light orange ribbons. Her tiara shined with a yellow sapphire.  
  
Before Kourtinay could transform, Abby dashed into the house, leaving a very confused group, monster included. Abby reappeared moments later carrying a small Vegeta figure. She ripped off the heart shaped button on the front bow and replaced it with the figure. "That's better," she stated triumphantly, "I'm not Sailor Leo, I'm Sailor VEGETA!"  
  
"Umm... Sagittarius constellation POWER!"  
  
A small ring of fire surrounded her then rushed upwards. She re-emerged wearing a tuscan red uniform with dark yellow bows. She wore dark yellow, ballet-like shoes; a dark orange tiger's eye stone set in her tiara.  
  
"Libra heavenly THUNDER!" Libra flung another lightening ball at the creature.  
  
"Leo BITCHSLAP!" Leo ran up to the monster and started slapping at it. "What did you say about my mama? Huh? HUH?!" Leo cried hysterically. The monster held an arm in front of its face like an abused puppy.  
  
"Abby, use a real attack!" Pisces complained.  
  
"That was a real attack!" Leo replied.  
  
"No, it wasn't!"  
  
"Fine. Umm... Leo hell storm BLAZE!"  
  
Abby held out one hand, above which floated a sizable fireball. She blew it at the monster, as if she were instead blowing a kiss. The monster jumped back as the fireball, which had grown larger, burned its flesh.  
  
"Pisces blizzard FREEZE!"  
  
Anne spun around gracefully like a figure skater and all around whirled snow, stuck, as it seemed, in a giant snow globe. From the delicate snowflakes formed menacingly sharp icicles that hurled themselves at the creature.   
  
"Sagittarius flame ARCHER!"  
  
Kourtinay pulled back the strings on a brilliant gold, ruby studded bow, holding the flaming arrow firmly, then letting it fly. It pierced the monster's heart and killed it instantly.  
  
"I still like 'Leo bitch slap' better" Abby commented sullenly. 


	5. Part 4: Who Is That Masked Man?

~ Part 4: Who Is That Masked Man? ~  
  
"So how many of them are there?" a calm, but angered shadow asked.  
  
"My Queen," a smaller shadow bowed before the larger one, "We believe there are eight."  
  
"And eight too many!" the Queen growled. "The Sailor Senshi of the future were bad enough. I've finally defeated them all to find that the puny Sailor Antares managed to escape. Now she's running around trying to fulfill some ancient Moon Kingdom prophecy.   
  
"At first I thought it to be nothing more than a legend, a myth. But as it turns out the, Zodiac Senshi are all too real. They only have four more senshi to find before they can return to the future. Do not allow them to succeed!"  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
"So anyway, Antares wants us to do some research to see if we can find were these monsters are coming from." Rachel said between bites of pizza and gulps of Pepsi. She was eating lunch with Mica in the mall after an extensive shopping spree.  
  
"Well were do we start?" Mica asked nonchalantly.   
  
"Hmm... I have no idea. You know, right before the monsters attacked, I saw a new apartment building that I'd never seen before. I just wrote it off as a really quick construction job, but now..." Rachel's uncertain voice trailed off.  
  
"Then we should check it out!" Mica exclaimed.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Why don't you stay over night at my house and we can go check it out from there. It's not that far from my house; we can probably sneak out at night."  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
At exactly midnight, Rachel and Mica, in Libra and Virgo morph, sneaked out of the house according to plan. Trying hard not to be too conspicuous, although two sixteen year olds in sailor costumes wandering around in the middle of the night was hardly inconspicuous, they made their way to the 'Dark Star Apartments'. Virgo pulled out a bobby pin and unlocked the front door. "Hmph. Not too afraid of thieves, are they?" she whispered to Libra.  
  
Slowly and cautiously, the pair made their way to the computer room. "A computer room? In an apartment complex?" Libra whispered to Virgo. Virgo nodded uncertainly. It was then that they noticed someone at a computer in the back of the room. "Get down!" Virgo whispered anxiously to Libra.  
  
The dark shadow at the back of the room muttered to himself in a deep voice. "Chikusho!" he exclaimed in a frustrated tone. He continued typing away.  
  
"That was Japanese. 'Chikusho' means 'damn it' I think," Libra whispered to Virgo.   
  
Suddenly, the man stopped typing. "Who's there?" he asked in his deep voice, laced with a noticeable Japanese accent. He got up and stepped forward into the light being let in by a large bay window. He wore a very nice tuxedo and a white eye mask. His hair was fairly long for a young man's; about shoulder length.  
  
"Oh my god he's sexy!" Virgo squealed in spite of herself. Libra noticed that the young man had turned a few shades redder.   
  
"Who's there?" he asked again, although this time more gently.  
  
"Hello!" Virgo giggled as she stood up. "I'm Sailor Virgo, and this," she said, pulling Libra up by the arm, "is my friend Sailor Libra."  
  
"Umm... konbonwa!" Libra squeaked. Why do I always get so giggly around guys? Libra asked herself.   
  
"Hey I know you!" Virgo said happily. "You're Sota, the Japanese exchange student!"  
  
"And you," he replied, "are Mica, the crazy choir girl."  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"Please not so loud, they'll hear you." Sota whispered.  
  
"Who are 'they' anyway?" Libra asked, regaining her composure.  
  
"I'm not sure. Is that why you two came here?"  
  
"Yes," the girls replied in unison.   
  
"What I have been able to find, though, will help us tremendously. Since it appears we are on the same side, I do not think there is much for either of us to worry about. It seems they come from the future, and wish to control the universe. They have come back to this time to find and destroy the Zodiac Senshi, which are the only thing that stands in their way." Sota's speech was marked with momentary pauses and mispronounced words, but entrancing to the girls nonetheless.   
  
"Great, we're the only thing standing between an evil empire and world domination," Virgo stated somberly.  
  
"Who's there!"  
  
Three heads turned, looked at each other, and then fled out the first floor window as a portly old security guard made his way into the room.  
  
"I think we should call it a night," Rachel said to Mica as she de-morphed. When they were done, they noticed Sota was about as red as an apple.   
  
"What's wrong?" Mica asked him.  
  
"You know that when you do that, you are not wearing any clothes?" He replied, looking at the ground and braced as if he were about to be slapped.   
  
Mica was the first to recover. "So? You think I'm sexy?" she teased. Sota turned even redder.  
  
"I think it's time to go." Rachel growled to Mica as she pulled the girl away from the thoroughly embarrassed boy. 


	6. Part 5: And Then There Were Twelve

~ Part 5: And Then There Were Twelve ~  
  
"I love that boy!" Mica gushed to Rachel as they parted after history class.  
  
"Yeah, and I get to talk to him during passing period!" Rachel teased.  
  
"I hate you!" Mica joked back.  
  
Rachel made her way through the halls to the top floor of the main building, aptly titled 'Main'.  
  
"Ohiyo, Sota-san!" Rachel waved to Sota as he neared her in the crowded hallway.  
  
"Oi! Ohiyo, Achu-chan!" Sota had taken to calling her 'Achu' instead of 'Rachel' because it was easier for him to pronounce.  
  
"How have you been?" Rachel asked.  
  
"I am tired. How are you?"  
  
"Same. Find out anything new?"  
  
A short pause. "No, nothing yet."  
  
"Mmm... where's everyone else?"  
  
Another pause. "I saw many of your friends in the Quad."  
  
"Alright. Arigato, Sota-san."   
  
Rachel ran down to the Quad as fast as she could with a ten pound backpack, hoping she had enough time to make it to the Quad and back.   
  
When she got to the Quad, she noticed not only was Mica and Autumn there, but Lucy, Zulla, Rica and Patti were there as well. Any plans to talk to Mica and Autumn about the Zodiac Senshi were thrown out the window.   
  
The girls got to talking and forgot about the ten-minute passing period. The bell rang and the girls started to run to their respective classes, but were stopped by an ominous roar and Sailor Antares' voice.  
  
"These four girls are the last of the Zodiac Senshi," she started, obviously happy that the others had been found. "Zulla, you are Sailor Capricorn. Take this." A green transformation pen with the g (Capricorn) symbol appeared in her outstretched hand. "Hold it up and say 'Capricorn constellation power.' Patti, you are Sailor Taurus. This is your transformation pen." Patti took the green pen with the j (Taurus) symbol. "Hold it up and say 'Taurus constellation power'. Lucy, you are..."  
  
"Sailor Aquarius. I'll hold up the pen and say 'Aquarius constellation power', right?" It was more of a statement than a question. She took the pen with the h (Aquarius) symbol.  
  
"Right," Antares seemed a bit peeved at being interrupted. "Rica..."  
  
Rica hid behind Zulla and cried, "I don't want to be a Sailor Scout!"  
  
"To bad, it's your destiny," Antares replied. "And you're a Zodiac Senshi; the Sailor Scouts are another name for the Sailor Senshi, and you're not a Sailor Senshi. Now then, you are Sailor Cancer. Take this pen," A blue pen with a a (Cancer) symbol appeared. Rica, still hiding behind Zulla, refused to take it. Mica took the pen and chucked it at her.   
  
"You will hold it up and say 'Cancer constellation power', understood?!" Rica nodded meekly. "Now then," Antares said calmly. "You better transform."   
  
"Libra constellation POWER!"  
  
"Virgo constellation POWER!"  
  
"Scorpio constellation POWER!"  
  
The rest of the girls took the hint.  
  
"Aquarius constellation POWER!" Lucy was surrounded by a gentle tornado of white wind, her dark hair waving upwards. After a graceful turn, she appeared wearing a light blue uniform adorned by white bows. She wore light blue high heels with a ribbon of the same color wrapped around her ankles. A light turquoise gem studded her tiara.  
  
"Taurus constellation POWER!" Patti spun around amidst a torrent of colorful autumn leaves. She emerged in a gold uniform with crimson-purple bows. She wore boots of the same crimson-red shade that came up to about mid-shin; the gold tiara was centered on a shining pink ice gem. Along with her trademark blonde braids.  
  
"Capricorn constellation POWER!" Zulla appeared in light green uniform with blood red bows after having been caught in a flurry of rainbow flowers. She wore deep red high-heeled sandals. Her tiara held a beautiful dark green, polished jade stone. The short-haired Mongolian girl looked particularly pleased with the color combination, though it reminded Libra vaguely of a Christmas tree.  
  
Rica (who was Mica's cousin and could easily pass as her sister) gulped and took a deep breath. "Cancer constellation POWER!" A tidal wave of sea green water washed over her. Her skirt and collar were a dark navy blue and the bows were cerulean blue. In the middle of her forehead was a dark blue sapphire from which her tiara arched.   
  
The roaring became more incessant and the enemy appeared: a hideous abomination resembling a hairy, fly-winged spider. Cancer took her place behind Capricorn.  
  
"Libra heavenly THUNDER!"  
  
"Scorpio tsunami TIDALWAVE!"  
  
"Virgo earth SHAKE!"  
  
Sailor Capricorn decided to go next. "Capricorn animal RAGE!" What appeared to spirits of thousands of terrestrial animals charged at the offending monster, knocking it back wards. The monster got back up and managed knock Capricorn over before she knew what hit her. Cancer was left unprotected as the creature turned around and started after her. She shut her eyes tight and screamed, "Cancer sea-storm SURGE!"  
  
Below her feet appeared a massive expanse of ocean. Water rose from all around her, spiraling upwards into the sky, then hurtling down into the monster. The enemy was knocked away from Cancer.  
  
"Aquarius thunderstorm SHOCK!" Aquarius held out an arm and moved it along with the movements of a lightning bolt that crashed directly on the monster.  
  
"Taurus vine WHIP!" Taurus held up a vine of strangely dangerous looking foliage. She used it as a whip against the creature, lashing at it several times.  
The monster, though hurt, charged at the girls again.  
  
"Antares constellation REVOLT!" It appeared as though the entire night sky was swept into the moon and star at the top of Sailor Antares' staff. The decoration lit up and when Antares brought it forward in front of her, a massive light beam coursed towards the monster, killing it on impact and leaving a small crater in the center of the Quad.  
  
"And that," Antares said with obvious annoyance at the deceased monster, "was my weakest attack." Antares turned around and stood in front of the astonished group. "Hello." The echo-like timbre was gone from her voice. "It's me, Sailor Antares, in the flesh. I've come to take you to the future."  
  
"The future?" Capricorn asked incredulously.   
  
"That's right, I haven't told most of you yet. We will journey through the Gates of Time to the 40th century, were you will meet the leaders of Neo Silver Millenium, the new Moon Kingdom. Once there, we will assist the Sailor Senshi in their fight to destroy the evil threatening our world."  
  
"Now?" Cancer asked.  
  
"Yes." Came the reply  
  
"YES! We get to skip geometry class!" Libra cried happily. 


	7. Part 6: The Gates of Time and Space

~ Part 6: The Gates of Time and Space ~  
  
After a bit of running around, and Antares messing around with time-space, all the Zodiac Senshi had been found, fully transformed, along with Sota (in normal every day attire), Tigger, Diana, Cleo (Tessa's talking cat), and Penny (Autumn's talking cat). Antares said out loud in a commanding voice, "Gates of Time, I command thee, appear to us!"  
  
The group appeared in a foggy mist. Ahead of them, they could see ornate white doors with the phases of the moon engraved along the frame. In front of it stood a young woman with dark skin and dark green hair. She wore a black sailor uniform similar to what the Zodiac Senshi wore. The bows were a dark tuscan red and a silver chain dangled around her hips. On the chain were three silver keys. She held a large staff, which was a bit taller than she was. The top was heart shaped with a large garnet set in the middle. At the top indent of the heart was another, smaller heart. The rod it was situated on was shaped like a key. The woman looked over at the girls; her purple eyes seemingly peering into each ones heart.   
  
"Sailor Pluto," Antares addressed the woman, "these are the Zodiac Senshi. They have come to help us fight the evil forces plaguing our universe. Please, let us into the 40th century Moon Kingdom."  
  
"Very well," she said. Her voice echoed like Sailor Antares' had before. Rachel realized she was only an illusion. "You may enter." The woman twirled the key around a few times then aimed it at the keyhole. The doors slowly opened with a loud creak.  
  
"Remember," Pluto said to them, "Always keep your destination in mind lest you be lost in time."  
  
The group slowly and cautiously proceeded into the void, heading towards the bright light in front of them. When they entered the light and came out at the other end, Rachel gasped in disbelief.   
  
They stood on an alabaster walkway. On either side of them was a glistening manmade lake, the waters perfectly calm. In front of the twin lakes was a beautiful castle, Arabic in appearance. Atop the tallest tower was a crescent moon. A city of colorful lights sat behind the castle, the whole scene reflected on the lakes. Behind the picturesque scene was a blue-green marble swirled with white: Earth.  
  
"This is Neo Silver Millenium. Come on, we best be going," Antares said to the group.  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
The inside of the castle was even more gorgeous than the outside. Ornately carved Corinthian columns held up the high, arched white ceilings. The floors were made of pure marble. They marveled at the various rooms: A gigantic dining room set with fine china and silver; a ballroom with enormous crystal chandeliers hanging from a vaulted ceiling that bore a mural of the Moon Kingdom and it's history; a three floor library that spanned the space of at least one and half football fields, stocked with every book imaginable.   
  
Finally, they happened upon the courtyard. The path was marked by a white marble walkway. In the center was a large fountain. It reminds me of Buckingham Fountain in Chicago, Rachel thought to herself. The wandered through the garden of rainbow flowers and into the throne room.  
  
Three silver thrones sat in the middle of the back of a room. Seated at the left most throne sat a man with white hair and what appeared to be a golden horn on his head. He wore a white outfit lined with dark blue and adorned with various pendants across the chest. On the far right throne sat a woman with long, pink hair pulled into football shaped buns on either side of her head with the excess hair flowing down and pooling into two heaps in the floor. She wore a white gown with small sleeves. Golden ringlets lined the top of the dress, which showed quite a bit of cleavage. The gown puffed out and trailed down to her ankles.  
  
In the middle thrown was a girl, about sixteen years old. Her blonde hair was pulled back, like her mother's, but into heart-shaped buns. Her shirt resembled the top half of her mother's dress, but showing less cleavage. The pants she wore resembled her father's, white with the bottom of the legs lined in dark blue.  
  
"Hello," the girl said with a smile. "I'm Neo Queen Lady Mistress Lima Bean, but you can just call me Lima Bean. This is my mother, Neo Queen Lady Serenity, and my father, King Helios."  
  
Lima Bean got up. "Follow me, I'll show you to your rooms." The group followed Lima Bean to the south tower. There were three large rooms inside, each decorated to look like a miniature palace. The whole area was dominated by red colors designed to look firey, by nonetheless was very harmonious. "This is were the Zodiac Senshi under the element of Fire will stay. That's Sailors Aeries, Sagittarius and Leo." The three fire signs stayed behind and Leo could be seen putting Dragon Ball Z posters up in her room.  
  
They headed up to the north tower. "Here is were the Earth signs will stay. Sailor Virgo, Capricorn and Taurus, these will be your rooms." The three girls got accustomed to their new bedrooms that featured a forest theme.   
  
Next came the west tower. The room gave the feel of an underwater city. "Sailor Scorpio, Cancer and Pisces, you guys will be staying here. This is the Water element's room, in case you couldn't guess."  
  
Finally the group came to the eastern most tower. The walls were painted to look like clouds in the sky. Libra found a queen-size bed with a moon and star comforter she particularly liked. The bed had midnight blue, silky fabric that hung down from the ceiling on all four edges. Gemini's bed had a sunset comforter with a red-pink canopy. Aquarius' bed had a sky comforter that matched the walls with light blue curtains at the head of the bed. The girls got their new belongings in their places and headed downstairs for lunch.  
  
"How do you like it here?" King Helios asked the girls when all were situated and chewing away at the feast that had been set before them. "I think this place is great!" Pisces said happily. The other girls and Sota agreed. "I'm glad you find it suitable. I hope you enjoy your stay."  
  
"Just remember, we have battles ahead of us, and they won't be easy," Antares warned the other girls. The King and Queen nodded their heads at this statement.  
  
Two weeks passed by without an upstart. Rachel was sitting in the library reading a particularly interesting piece on the history of the Silver Millenium when Sota approached her.   
  
"Konichi wa, Sota-kun!" she said happily when he tapped her on the shoulder.   
  
"Konichi wa, Achu-chan. Ano... Achu-chan?"  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Eto... you know that ball the King and Queen wanted to have? I was wondering if... ano... if you would..."  
  
"Want to go with you?" Rachel asked hopefully.  
  
"No, if you would ask Mica-chan if she would go with me." He was blushing slightly.  
  
"Oh," Rachel tried not to sound as depressed as she was. "Hai, I'll ask her for you."  
  
"Arigato, Achu-chan!" He said happily as he dashed off.  
  
Rachel did as she had promised.  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
"Mistress Lima Bean! Mistress Lima Bean!" A small servant girl ran up to Lima Bean, flailing her arms wildly. The young princess bent down to hear the little girl. The girl whispered in her ear and Lima Bean abruptly stood up. "Get my mother!" she said with urgency in her voice. All the girls, who had been eating breakfast, looked up.  
  
"Hurry and transform. There's an enemy here!" Lima Beans voice shook.  
  
The girls did as they were told and ran into the courtyard where the offending creature sat patiently. Unlike the monsters the girls had fought before, he was nothing hideously ugly. The enemy was a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. His hair was white with a few streaks of gray. It cascaded to the middle of his back and was held in a tight ponytail, sans his bangs, which he swept out of his face every now and then. He had piercing green eyes that flashed gold in the Moon Kingdom's bright lights. When he stood up, he was about six feet tall.   
  
"Good evening, Zodiac Senshi," he said to them in a charming demeanor. "My name is Yariel. I come on behalf of the Queen Ceres. I don't believe we've met."   
  
"Who are you?" Antares asked with malice.  
  
"I told you. I am Yariel, Queen Ceres' servant."  
  
"Why have you come?" Antares asked, still with obvious hatred.  
  
"The Queen requested I come to deliver a message to Royal Family and the Zodiac Senshi."  
  
"Which would be?"  
  
"She says to give up now. If you do, she will be merciful to you after she takes over the universe. I suggest you obey; the Queen will not tolerate insolence from her slaves."  
  
"Slaves?! How dare she?!"  
  
"Suit yourselves. I bid you farewell."  
  
The man disappeared and in his wake was yet another monster.  
  
"Virgo earth SHAKE!"  
  
"Pisces blizzard FREEZE!"  
  
"Sagittarius flame ARCHER!"  
  
"Leo BITCHSLAP!"  
  
"Libra maelstrom SHOCKWAVE!" Libra held her arms high above her head, spinning around then thrusting her arms out and standing with her feet far apart. Immense bolts of lighting coursed through her and straight to the monster. It fell over.  
  
"Antares constellation REVOLT!" The monster disappeared.  
  
"How did I..." Libra stuttered.  
  
"You managed to channel your power into a greater attack. The other girls will learn it with experience," Antares explained.  
  
"Who's that Yariel guy?" asked Gemini.  
  
Antares took a deep breath. "He is the minion of Neo Silver Millenium's worst enemy, Queen Ceres."  
  
"Who's Queen Ceres?" Rica asked.  
  
"Well, once upon a time..."  



	8. Part 7: The Legend of Queen Ceres and th...

~ Part 7: The Legend of Queen Ceres and the 12 Pure Hearts ~  
  
"Queen Ceres was the ruler of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. She was a beautiful woman, and well liked by everyone that met her. But Ceres had one flaw: she was greedy. She had been used to always getting what she wanted, and her subjects were always willing to provide it for her.  
  
"As you may know from the library's history books, each Sailor Senshi is the Queen of her respective planet. One day, the young Queen Ceres decided to visit Queen Makoto, who is now Sailor Jupiter. Ceres saw the wonders of the planet, and wanted such beauty for herself. She became envious and sought ways to harness what she desired.  
  
"Like I said, she was very well liked and hence invited to many parties on all the planets, on all the moons. She toured each palace, each garden, all the scenic views and every wonder they had to provide. She wanted more, until finally, her greed took over her heart.  
  
"She started her conquest of this solar system on the planet Pluto. An easy feat considering all the Sailor Senshi are stationed here, and Sailor Pluto must forever guard the gates of time. She traveled from planet to planet, galaxy to galaxy, meeting little resistance. Some of these places, which also harbored evil, even welcomed her. Finally she came to Earth and the Moon. The Sailor Senshi have managed to keep her away, but she grows stronger every day.  
  
"Recently, her powers become a threat to our world. She claimed that if we did not give up, she would destroy everything dear to us, torture loved ones, make entire galaxies suffer for our insolence." Sailor Antares' voice was caught in a string of sobs and chokes. Tears were now streaming down her face. "Imagine, a whole race of people brought into starvation and poverty, because you were trying to protect them. And it would only bring more bad than good."   
  
After a while, she began to regain her composure. "It was after a particularly grueling battle that I was sent to find the legendary twelve holders of the pure hearts.  
  
"At only one time in history were there ever twelve truly pure hearts in existence. Those twelve belong to you. The prophecies of the legend say that, when combined with the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal, the Golden Crystal, and the Rainbow Crystal, which I hold, the power of the Zodiac Senshi and Sailor Senshi could destroy or purify the entire universe.   
  
"Four of the Zodiac Senshi, one of each element, holds a pure heart that can transform into a talisman. I myself have already received mine." Antares held up her staff. "This is my Time Constellation Scepter. The leader of the Air signs holds the Angel Wing Glaive. The leader of the Water signs has the Tsunami Trident. The Fire sign leader contains the Dragon Flare Scythe. And the leader of the Earth signs holds the Earth Crystal Staff.   
  
"The Zodiac Senshi are the universe's last hope. If we are to succeed, we must focus our hearts, corny as it sounds, to the power of the love and friendship within each of us. We must win!"  



	9. Part 8: The Power of Love

~ Part 8: The Power of Love ~  
  
The ballroom buzzed with the chatter of a sea of people. Gorgeous dresses and suits swayed to the music. Rachel stood at the side of the staircase.  
  
She wore a stunning sleeveless black velvet dress. Diamonds graced her neck and most of her arms were encased in black silk gloves. Her hair was held back in a french twist, pinned with a pearl comb and dripping with freshly picked flowers. She stared into the center of the ballroom as a glistening tear slid down the contours of her cheek.  
  
In the center of shifting bodies stood Mica, wearing a white dress lined at the top with roses. Her hair was held by a string of spiraling pearls. She swayed to the music held safely in Sota's warm embrace.   
  
It could have been me, Rachel thought to herself. It should've been me. Why? I love him but... he looks so happy. To be with her. Why, God? Why couldn't that have been me? Rachel began to sob bitterly as she bit her knuckle and fled the ballroom.  
  
Unknown to the dancing people and Senshi, Yariel stood hidden in a darkened corner of the ballroom. He watched as Rachel fled soundlessly to her quarters. Although he was here to complete a mission, it was one he didn't wish to fulfill.   
  
*Earlier*  
  
"Yariel!"   
  
"Yes, my Queen?" Yariel bowed in front of the shadow of the woman seated on the throne.  
  
"Why haven't the Zodiac Senshi been destroyed? Why were they allowed to come to this time?"  
  
"I am truly sorry, my Queen. I didn't mean for it to happen..."  
  
"And it won't happen again! Do you know why?"  
  
Yariel tried to suppress the dread rising in his throat and shook his head 'no'.  
  
"Because you are going to take care of them yourself. If you fail, they will destroy you. If you fail and manage to get away, I will destroy you. Understood?"  
  
Yariel nodded weakly.   
  
"Good."   
  
*Now*  
  
Yariel took a deep breath and made himself reappear in the middle of the ballroom, floating midair. The people scattered and screamed as he transformed himself into one of the ugly monsters.  
  
Mica and Sota stood in front of him. Mica transformed herself immediately. The other girls, Libra included, rushed to her side.  
  
Yariel didn't wait for everyone to get their bearings before the battle started. He lashed out at Cancer, injuring her and leaving the frightened girl on the floor.  
  
"Leo hell storm BLAZE!"  
  
"Capricorn animal RAGE!"  
  
"Aquarius thunderstorm SHOCK!"  
  
Yariel emerged from the flurry with a few scratches, but nothing permanent. He counterattacked, knocking Virgo over onto her back and aiming to stab her in the heart with one of his spiked claws.  
  
"Libra maelstrom SHOCKWAVE!" It was too late. Yariel was bearing down fast on Virgo, who was screaming in terror.  
  
Then everything happened in slow motion. Libra felt as if she were watching from far away as Sota pushed Virgo out of the way, landing him exactly where she had been. Yariel's claw continued to bear downwards, connecting with Sota's back as he screamed. Or was that Virgo?  
  
Yariel lifted his bloodied claw lifting Sota off the ground then dropping him with a thud. Virgo ran over to Sota with tears clouding her vision.  
  
"So-Sota," she sobbed as she cradled the nearly dead boy.  
  
"Nnn... Mica-chan..." he said weakly. "Gomen nasai, Mica-chan. Ai shiteru..." the last words were barely audible, hardly heard as Virgo began crying hysterically. Sota's body went limp. Libra dropped unbelieving to her knees, staring at the scene before her.   
  
"What you stupid Senshi do for love," Yariel scoffed. "You will pay for your foolish ways!" He posed to strike again at Virgo.   
  
"You..." Virgo's voice was dangerously low. "You did this to him. YOU!" She stood up, her hands clenched into fists and trembling violently. "Virgo meteor STRIKE!"  
  
Massive chunks of rock crashed around Yariel, continuously beating him and severely harming him. Nonetheless he managed to laugh as he returned to his human form. "Very nice, Sailor Virgo," Yariel said. Momentary distraction was an opportunity not missed by Pisces.  
  
"Pisces blizzard FREEZE!" The others took her cue.  
  
"Sagittarius flame ARCHER!"  
  
"Gemini hurricane WHIRLWIND!"  
  
"The girls took turns each dishing out their attacks. Yariel took a severe beating.  
  
"FOOLS!" he roared. "Even if you destroy me, you will still have Queen Ceres to deal with. Incite her rage and I assure you will not survive."  
  
"Antares zodiac APACALYPSE!"   
  
Antares spun in a small circle, scraping the ground with the tip of the scepter, and framing a zodiac chart. Upon completion, the lines turned to light and charged up the scepter into the four charms. Antares brought the staff high over her head as a giant light ball formed at the top and shot into Yariel. He faded into nothingness.   
  
Neo Queen Lady Serenity approached Virgo carefully. "I can only say that he will forever sleep peacefully inside these castle walls until the time comes that Sailor Saturn can reincarnate him." She said gently. Virgo nodded.  
  
Antares later explained the full extent of Sailor Saturn's power to the curious girls. 


	10. Part 9: Crystal Tokyo

~ Part 9: Crystal Tokyo ~  
  
After that day, the palace seemed empty. Two months had passed unnoticed. A battle here, a monster there. Insignificant. Antares had dealt with the death of a comrade before, and she knew it wasn't permanent. But her attempts to cheer up the Senshi never worked.   
  
"I think," Neo Queen Lady Serenity said to King Helios, "that our dear Zodiac Senshi need a change of pace. To ease the pain."  
  
"Yes, that would be best. Perhaps with your parents in Crystal Tokyo?" Helios replied.  
  
"Yes. And our dear Lima Bean hasn't seen them in a while."  
  
"Aww, ma do I have to?" Lima Bean pouted.  
  
"Yes, you do. Now pack your things and get the Senshi. You're going to Earth."  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
The palace of Crystal Tokyo was almost identical to the one of the Moon Kingdom. Except that instead of having the palace in the font of the city, this one was situated in the heart, towering over buildings. The girls spent the first few days exploring the city. Quite an adventure considering most of the girls hadn't been outside the United States before.  
  
"Waaaaah! I'm illiterate!" Rachel exclaimed as she tried to make sense of the kanji and hiragana script dominating the signs, books and advertisements.  
  
"Woo hoo! A Fushigi Yuugi art book! I can never find this stuff!" Mica exclaimed happily. "Tamahome... Hotohori... Drool."  
  
Lima Bean smiled. Of all the places in Crystal Tokyo, she liked the Anime Plaza the most. But it was getting late. "You guys," Lima Bean called, "we should be getting back now."   
  
"Yeah," everyone agreed. They would come back tomorrow.   
  
"Lima Bean!" A small girl called from down the road.   
  
"Michelle!" Lima Bean ran over to the girl and brought her back to the group. "Everyone, this is my best friend Michelle. Michelle, this is the rest of the Zodiac Senshi."  
  
"What do you mean 'the rest of'?" Rica asked.  
  
"Oh, Antares didn't tell you? Michelle's a Senshi too. She's Sailor Chibi Scorpio."  
  
"Chibi Scorpio?" Zulla asked.  
  
"Yeah, she wanted to be just plain Sailor Scorpio because she's older than Autumn and she was found first, but in a past life, she was the youngest. And besides, she's the smallest. Isn't she cute?" Lima Bean smiled.  
  
Michelle glared at Lima Bean.  
  
"We really should be getting back. It's getting dark," Lucy observed. Everyone started up the street to the palace.  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
By the time the girls got into the palace, they had noticed a dark mist covering the city below.  
  
"Umm... I don't think it's supposed to do that." Michelle commented warily.   
  
"There has been a dark mist covering the city late at night for about a week now. But I've never seen it so thick." Neo Queen Serenity answered.  
  
"... I don't like the looks of it. Maybe we should transform to be on the safe side?"  
  
"Yes, that would be best."  
  
An hour later, the girls stood at the back gates of the palace, watching as the dark mist crept slowly upwards, thickening and billowing in the night sky.  
  
"I don't like the looks of this," Leo said solemnly, acting like a normal human.  
  
"Not to sound corny or anything, but it seems... I sense something evil." Gemini said to everyone.  
  
"Too late," Aries said cheerily.  
  
"Huh?" Gemini asked.  
  
"You said you didn't want to sound corny. I said it's too late." She responded with nervous laughter. Trust Tessa to try and ease the tension.  
  
The mist was nearing the gates now. The girls were silent.  
  
"I see the Zodiac Senshi don't know what to make of this," a feminine, sinister voice boomed. It came from the fog.  
  
"Let me introduce myself. I..."  
  
The fog pulled away from the area and condensed into the shape of a woman. Details began to emerge, leaving the figure as a beautiful woman with raven black hair that cascaded to her knees. Her eyes were golden, sparking with unnatural light. She wore a dark purple dress that pooled at her feet and clung to her arms. Her pale skin, like her eyes, glowed eerily in the night.  
  
"...am Queen Ceres," she finished.  
  
"Y-you're Queen Ceres?" Taurus asked with a stutter. This is the abomination of humanity we have to fight? Libra thought to herself. She looks so... frail.  
  
The woman indeed appeared very weak, but an inner power emanated from within her.  
  
"You wish to save your pitiful planet? I suspect it will last no longer than the others." Sagittarius growled. Queen Ceres smiled and said, "Well if you wish to try and defend this... place, I guess I can do nothing to stop you." 


	11. Part 10: The Begining of the End

~ Part 10: Beginning of the End ~  
  
"Taurus vine WHIP!" Ceres easily sidestepped the attack. "Is that all? Really I expected more from the esteemed Zodiac Senshi." She commented dryly.   
  
"Leo hell storm BLAZE!" Abby wasn't goofing around this time, and managed to singe Ceres' hair. She looked slightly peeved.  
  
"Come now, surely to can do better than that."  
  
"Cancer sea-storm SURGE!" Ceres was definitely angered now. "I see you girls aren't joking. But I will make this offer to you now: give up now and I won't kill you, but persist and I will make sure you suffer."  
  
"Aquarius thunderstorm SHOCK!" came the answer.  
  
"Very well then. You've made your choice."  
  
Ceres crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. A large ball of white energy gathered and grew where her arms crossed at her heart. "Let's see how well you Senshi handle THIS!" she roared as she flung it at the girls. The girls stumbled and fell over. Ceres smirked. "I see I may have you beaten Senshi."  
  
"Never!" Gemini cried defiantly. She pulled her comrades to their feet and the group retreated as Ceres prepared another attack. They soon found themselves at the foot of a cliff.  
  
"Really, you shouldn't run. It's bad form, you know." Ceres was no longer the elegant woman she was. In fact, the body she was in was lying still near the gates. A dark, shapeless demon now loomed darkly above everything.  
  
"What?! How in the world?.." Capricorn asked in surprise.  
  
"I lied." Ceres laughed. "The woman over there was Ceres, yes, but as you can see, I am not. You've heard that Ceres let her greed grow inside of her. Well, I am that greed, the very demon you see before you!" With that, a powerful blast resounded through the air. A bright light surrounded the girls, knocking them over with ease. Libra pushed herself up from the ground where she lay. Looking around, she saw most of the others lying unmoving, blood spattered around the ground. The demon laughed.  
  
"Libra maelstrom SHOCKWAVE!"  
  
The demon only smiled as it flung a giant fireball at the screaming Sailor Libra. Libra was knocked over the edge of the cliff. 


	12. Part 11: Now and Forever

~ Part 11: Now and Forever ~  
  
Suddenly, everything stopped. The air, the sound, everything. Time itself had stopped. Libra opened her eyes to find herself face to face with Sailor Antares, who had not been there during the fight. Antares smiled jovially as if it were any other day.  
  
"But how?..." Libra asked.  
  
"I can stop time." Antares answered.  
  
"Queen Ceres, she..."  
  
"I know. Don't worry. We'll beat her." Antares smiled again. Libra dully noted that this was the most she had seen Antares smile in one day.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Get up." Libra did as she was told. As she did so, she noticed her uniform had changed slightly. The button on the front bow, which had been a heart, was now a star. She had two transparent sleeves on each arm that overlapped each other. Where the leotard met the skirt in the front, there was a dark blue jewel with the ever present Libra sign. The trailing ribbons on the back bow where also longer.   
  
"Take this." Libra took the white staff presented to her. It was topped by a kneeling angel with its wings outstretched, a dark gem between the top feathers. "Is this... the Angel Wing Glaive?" she asked.  
  
Antares nodded. "Look behind you."  
  
Libra craned her neck back to find a pair of white feathered wings. "I have WINGS!?!"  
  
Another smile. "Yes. You're the leader of the air signs. Now fly your little butt up there and kick some demon ass. Everyone's been healed, so you won't be alone."  
  
Libra did as she was told.  
  
~oO Oo~  
  
At the top of the cliff, everything appeared as if nothing had happened, except now, Virgo had butterfly wings and a staff with a hummingbird and a flower, Aries had bat wings and an intricately carve scythe, and Scorpio had wings that looked suspiciously like fins and held a trident.  
  
Not to mention that the demon was now on the losing end.  
  
Eight figures could be seen making their way to the cliff. The Sailor Senshi. Chibi Scorpio, in the uniform of Chibi Moon, was leading the way.  
  
"Virgo meteor STRIKE!"  
  
"Scorpio deep sea CRUSH!"  
  
"Aries fiery DEATH!"  
  
"Libra maelstrom SHOCKWAVE!"  
  
Some old attacks, some new ones. Infinitely more powerful all around. The Sailor Senshi had made it to the cliff. "Every one!" Mercury cried, "we must combine our power!"  
  
Libra held out her staff as Gemini and Aquarius stood on either side of her. The other Senshi gathered around their respective leaders. The Sailor Senshi had gathered in a circle and joined hands. Lima Bean was in the center of the circle, holding up the Silver Imperium Crystal and floating precariously above the ground. Sailor Chibi Scorpio stood in the center of the four points the Zodiac Senshi had created.  
  
"Zodiac Senshi, concentrate your power!" Sailor Uranus called to them.  
  
Libra shut her eyes tight and concentrated her power, which combined with that of Gemini and Aquarius and coursed it's way up the Angel Wing Glaive. The streak of energy it created ran into the other three from the other Senshi. Chibi Scorpio appeared high in the air, at intersection of light, holding a rainbow colored crystal. The condensed energy from the Rainbow Crystal and the Silver Imperium Crystal shot towards the moon and star on the Time Constellation Scepter, held by Sailor Antares who was also floating above the ground.  
  
"Demon, remember this!" She cried to the dark form. "Love and Friendship will conquer all adversity!" Pure energy flowed forward from the scepter into the demon.   
  
"I will have my revenge!" it cried as the dark mist that was the demon disappeared into the sky.  
  
Both Senshi found themselves tired and in need of sleep. They headed back to the palace, amazingly still intact. But not before Libra was able to turn around and watch the darkness fade from the sky.  
  
The sun was rising; and from the looks of it, their world would see many more sunrises.  
  
  
  
  
~oO Finis Oo~ 


End file.
